0:08Skip to 0 minutes and 8 secondsDAVID HESLOP: Recent advances are breaking down long-held beliefs and theories in the biological sciences about the risks surrounding biological agents. Never before have humans possessed the ability to so completely control and modify many aspects of living organisms, to introduce characteristics not naturally present in an organism, to bypass mechanisms of reproduction to which organisms have adapted over countless generations, to create new life from existing life in ways that have not emerged in the natural order.

0:39Skip to 0 minutes and 39 secondsDAVID MUSCATELLO: These powers can be used to create much good for humanity, but can equally introduce significant risks and result in unforeseen burdens. This course touches on some of the basic concepts relating to contemporary biosecurity and bioterrorism in a world marked by rapid change and development in this area. We will discuss and highlight some examples of biosecurity and bioterrorism events and analyse the factors that led to their occurrence and influenced how they unfolded.

1:10Skip to 1 minute and 10 secondsDAVID HESLOP: It is my pleasure to welcome you to Biosecurity and Bioterrorism Public Health Dimensions. In this course, you will gain an appreciation for some of the concepts, difficulties, and complexities surrounding working with infectious biological agents. These concepts are relevant both now and will become more important into the future as the relentless technological advances open doors to potential risks and benefits never previously conceived.

Introductory video

Associate Professor David Heslop and Dr David Muscatello introduce the course: ‘Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Public Health Dimensions’. They highlight the background, motivation and implication of this course in your career or life.